Virtual Remote Control Manages Your Smart Home

We’re just at the dawn of smart homes, with various connected cribs, high-tech security systems, robot butlers, and more striving to become the new norm. But while most of us assumed these smart devices would be voice-controlled like the likes of Google Home, Amazon Echo, or Mark Zuckerberg’s Jarvis, a new startup is showing us perhaps a more natural way to take command of home tech: augmented reality.

Hayo, which is currently fundraising for manufacturing on Indiegogo, promises to turn any space or object in your home into a smart device remote control. Want to turn on the lights? Press a predetermined point on the wall. Turn on your music? Raise your hand just so.

The trick is clever enough that it’s surprising it hasn’t already gone mainstream. Hayo is essentially a VR controller along the lines of a Microsoft Kinect. It scans your room, lets you place a virtual “button” anywhere you like, and syncs that point in space with the connected device of your choosing.

Hayo’s app doesn’t limit the number of buttons you can create, and they can be placed just about anywhere. The system is also outfitted with AI capability that learns more about your gestures and behaviors to become smarter over time, potentially anticipating your needs.